"Catch the Devil" | Reviewed by William Winkler

American journalist Pamela Colloff is a reporter for ProPublica and a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine. A former editor at Texas Monthly, she published several long-form articles describing the tortuous road leading to the release of two prisoners whose convictions were overturned after extensive investigations showed the evidence against them was fabricated.

In her first book, “Catch the Devil,” Colloff describes a similar scenario, but one that does not, at the time of publication, end in the unjustly condemned prisoner’s release.

The book’s first section details the life and activities of Paul Skalnik, a confidence man whose origins remain uncertain. Over the course of three decades Skalnik roamed the Gulf Coast states, portraying himself as an ex-Marine Corps fighter pilot, a wealthy retired attorney, or an airline executive, among other fabrications.

Over the years Skalnik won the confidence of dozens, if not hundreds, of people. He married at least nine times, sometimes to more than one woman at once. And he sexually abused several young girls who came forward years later.

Skalnik was imprisoned on numerous occasions. Durning his years in prison he was able to gain the ear of fellow prisoners who, he claimed, shared details of crimes for which they had yet to stand trial. He was able to gain favorable treatment from prosecutors by testifying against these prisoners in court. Despite his growing reputation as a “snitch,” he continued to provide information, much of it false, against his fellow prisoners.

Next comes the story of Jim Dailey, a wholesome Kansas native whose life went south after traumatic service in Vietnam. Dailey’s life descended into drug and alcohol dependency and he became a drifter, finding himself in Pinellas County, Florida, in the spring of 1985. On a May evening Dailey went partying with friends who introduced him to a 14-year-old girl, whose naked body was discovered days later.

Dailey and another man were eventually convicted of the murder, Dailey on the basis of false testimony from Skalnik as well as other circumstantial evidence. He was sentenced to die in “Old Sparky,” Florida’s electric chair.

The remainder of the book details the efforts of multiple attorneys to gain a new trial for Daily, based on discovery of evidence proving that Dailey could not have been present at the scene of the crime, as well as proving that Skalnik’s testimony was false.

At the time of publication, Paul Skalnik had died and Jim Dailey, after 40 years on Death Row, still awaited execution.

“Catch The Devil” is a well-researched, tightly written book that will appeal to readers who appreciate legal procedurals with vivid human portrayals.

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